Landing aircraft during crosswind weather conditions is one of the most demanding flight maneuvers in aviation flight, and is often difficult to learn due to the unique and assertive use of flight controls needed to be successful and safe during such landings. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cites crosswinds and gusts as the top two causes of weather related aircraft accidents, and about 90% of these accidents occur at wind speeds well below aircraft capability. This suggests that pilot skill is the primary shortfall. Despite the relatively high risk of accident during such maneuvers, many general aviation pilots receive limited training time in practicing landing aircraft during crosswind landing conditions, and as a result, often avoid attempting the maneuver, leading to degraded skills and increased apprehension that causes some to stop piloting altogether.
To provide meaningful crosswind landing training to pilots, aircraft training simulators should ideally duplicate conditions present in aircraft just prior to touchdown on the runway, such as forces exerted on the pilot's body, partially obstructed view of the runway, and peripheral vision cues necessary to make a proper landing. Most aircraft training simulators available at local airports, however, are stationary computer-based simulators that don't duplicate these conditions and are of little value for crosswind landing training. A few high-end computer-based training simulators do provide adequate crosswind landing conditions simulation, but do so with visual cues by moving images displayed on the simulator's computer screen to replicate conditions.